I swear by the Singer Featherweight for straight stitching mostly. It does not do any fancy stitches but I have heavy
machines that do all that and my kids will put it on the table for me. Once I get that sewing room organized I will keep all my machines out. Friend bought a Janome Gem for classes etc. and she loves it. Especially the needle threader. Now
that needle threader alone would be a big plus for me. It just depends on what you want to use the machine for. I
know people that have top of the line sewing machines but they do everything. I still need my Singer as I can move that around easily.